92 



4323. Quercus suber. Cork oak. 



From Fayal, Azores. Donated by Mr. Caleb Wilkinson, United States consul at 

 St. Michaels, Azores, through Hon. Geo. H. Pickerill, January 26, 1900. 



"In Portugal and Spain the best way of growing the cork oak is found to be by 

 scooping a shallow hole in the ground about 18 inches in diameter, stirring the earth 

 well, then making a small mound of earth in the middle of the hole, on the top of 

 which the acorn is placed on its side. A couple of handfuls of earth are then put 

 over the acorn lying on the flattened top of the mound and a little brushwood on the 

 weather side of the hole to protect the seedling. Rich ground or manure is unneces- 

 sary; in fact the harsher and drier the ground the better is the quality of the cork." 

 {Caleb Wilkinson.) Distributed. 



4324. Euchlaena luxurians. Teosinte. 



From Florida. Received January 27, 1900. 



"This stout, leafy grass, 8 to 10 or 12 feet high, resembling Indian corn, to which 

 it is botanically closely related, has been cultivated in various parts of the South and 

 West. It has a habit of tillering or sending up many — 20 to 50 — stalks from the same 

 root. From this habit the bulk of fodder produced to the acre is very large, prob- 

 ably unequalled by any other grass. It is liked by all kinds of stock and has a 

 special value as a green fodder when other forage is dried up. It may be cut sev- 

 eral times during the season, but nearly as good results will be obtained from a single 

 cutting made just before frost. The stalks are tender, and there is no waste in the 

 fodder when dry or green. One pound of seed to the acre, planted in drills 3 feet 

 apart and thinned to a foot apart in the drill, is recommended. It is a native of the 

 warmer portions of Central America and Mexico. The seed rarely matures north of 

 southern Florida. " [Tracy.) Distributed. 



4325. Gossypium herbaceum. Cotton. 



From Louisiana. Received January, 1900. 



Lewis Prize. ' 'A prolific variety developed by Mr. W. B. F. Lewis, of Tangipa- 

 hoa Parish, La., yield of seed cotton nearly as great as that of the most prolific big 

 boll varieties and percentage of lint nearly 35J per cent. Although developed near 

 the Gulf coast and at only a small elevation above tide water, it proved during the dry 

 season of 1899 to be very" hardy and very prolific at the Georgia Experiment Station, 

 45 miles south of Atlanta. It is recommended for trials in alluvial lands in all parts 

 of the cotton belt except at the north, where the season may be too short. Plant in 

 deep, rich, sandy loam or in clay loam, made mellow by deep cultivation, in drills 4 

 feet apart, leaving plants about 18 inches apart in the row. Keep the surface soil 

 well stirred by frequent cultivation until the time- of flowering." [Dewey.) 



4326. Gossypium herbaceum. Cotton. 



From Naples, Italy. Received February, 1900. 



Neapolitan. One of the best varieties of cotton recently developed in the principal 

 cotton-growing district of Italy, near Naples; fiber of medium length, very fine. A 

 rich, deep, mellow soil is preferable for this variety. Prepare the land as for the cul- 

 tivation of upland cotton. Plant in drills 4 feet apart, leaving them about 15 inches 

 apart, Distributed. 



4327. Gossypium herbaceum. Cotton. 



From Alabama. Received January, 1900. 



Russell's Big Boll. "A variety developed by careful cultivation and selection from 

 seed from a very prolific plant found in 1893 by Mr. J. T. Russell in his cotton fields 

 in Alabama. Plant erect, broadly pyramidal, with spreading branches, and rather 

 stout central stalk 3 to 6 feet high; bolls large, If to 2\ inches long, rounded, somewhat 

 clustered along the branches; lint of medium length, about three-fourths of an inch, 

 averaging about 32 per cent of the weight of the seed cotton. Fifty-four bolls yield 

 1 pound of seed cotton. In variety tests at several of the experiment stations dur- 

 ing the past two years, Russell's Big Boll has proved to be one of the most prolific 

 varieties, and especially during the dry season of 1899, it exhibited remarkable 



